Graham Rahal follows his father's tire tracks into IndyCar racing

Mike Carlson / APGraham Rahal celebrates his victory in the IRL Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in April 2008.

To say that Graham Rahal grew up in racing is both fact and fiction.

It's true that Rahal spent childhood years around cars and tracks. His father, Bobby, won the 1986 Indianapolis 500. The elder Rahal, now the co-owner of an IndyCar team, toted little Graham along the racing circuit. Graham's first memories of racing go back to tracks at Mid-Ohio and Cleveland.

But Graham Rahal isn't finished growing up, having turned 20 years old in January. Some of his Indy Racing League competitors have firesuits that are older. His personal credits in the IRL media guide include his senior class project.

Rahal is an open-wheel anomaly. He's a kid who can't legally buy a drink in New York state, but at the same time he's a racing veteran in his third year in the IRL. Earlier this year, he became the youngest driver to win a pole for an IndyCar race.

Still looking for his first IRL victory, Rahal will challenge the likes of Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick in the Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International this Sunday. He's coming off his best finish of the season, a third-place showing at the SunTrust Indy Challenge in Richmond, Va., last Sunday.

Rahal recently took the time to talk with Syracuse Post-Standard reporter Mike Waters about his famous father, his performance this season and that senior class project:

Q: How much influence has your father had on you as a driver and your career in general?

Rahal: Obviously, he's had a huge influence on me and what I do. He's a huge part of what I do every single day. If it weren't for him, I don't think I'd be in racing at this point.

Q: Did you ever balk about your dad's advice?

Rahal: Naturally, being a kid, that's the way it works. As a kid you never want to believe what your dad says is true. But everywhere I go to race, he's been there. Any challenge that may present itself in racing, I can guarantee he's been through it. I take as much information as I can from him and lean on him.

Q: So how old were you when you first got behind the wheel of a car?

Rahal: I was 6 years old the first time I drove a go-kart. From there, the first time I competitively raced, I was about 10.

Q: So you were racing at the age of 10. What was the first car you ever drove?

Rahal: Dad always had this old Beetle that he absolutely loved, so that was the first car I drove. It was a 1971 VW beetle. I was 11 years old when I first got to drive it. It was only in our neighborhood.

Q: Is it tough competing in the Indy Racing League at such a young age?

Rahal: It's exciting. You feel like you've got to do everything you can to stay with the other drivers. It's tough. They make you bring up your level of competition. It's difficult to compete with these guys, but ultimately I think it'll pay off in a big way. I look at it like it's exciting and an honor.

Q: You're currently in ninth-place in the points standings and you've had four top-10 finishes in eight starts this season, but you're still looking for that first win in an IndyCar race. How are you and your team feeling about the season?

Rahal: I'm extremely proud of my guys. Everybody's working hard and we've been very competitive. There's still work to be done for us, progress to be made.

"I hope (a win) will happen for us. It feels like forever. I hope we can accomplish that soon and move forward and gather more and more wins.

Q: How do you feel about competing on the road course at Watkins Glen?

Rahal: I think the Glen is one of the best circuits on the schedule. I'm a road course racer at heart so I look forward to that.

Q: Will the road course give you an edge?

Rahal: I would say that it does. It's very competitive this season, but our competitiveness on road courses should exceed what we've done on the ovals.

Q: OK, I've got to ask about this senior class project. You went to New Albany High School in Ohio, and your bio says you restored a car?

Rahal: I did. In my senior year in high school, you had to choose one thing for a 100-hour project on which you'll learn something. I thought "That's pretty simple. I'll restore a car."

Q: So what kind of car was it?

Rahal: bought a '64 Mini Cooper in Bowling Green, and completely restored the entire car. I spent a couple hundred dollars restoring it. I'm very proud of the way it's ended up. It's a great little toy. It's so nice now. I almost don't want to drive it anymore.